From the bestselling storyteller Orson Scott Card comes a gripping story of terror within a small town.Step Fletcher, his pregnant wife DeAnne, and their three children move to Steuben, North Carolina, with high hopes. But Step's new job with a software company turns out to be a snake pit, and eight-year-old Stevie's school is worse, an unending parade of misery and disaster. As Stevie retreats into himself, focusing more and more on a mysterious computer game and a growing troop of imaginary friends, the Fletchers' concern turns to terror. There is something eerie about his loyal, invisible new playmates: each shares the name of a child who has recently vanished from the sleepy Southern town. And as evil strikes out from the most trusted corners, it's suddenly clear that Stevie is next on the list.